This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness and preferences of supplementary drinks for very old subjects who are likely to be malnourished. Twenty-five elderly subjects were divided into two groups. The supplemented group(N=15) received 500mls of nutrient supplement(New Care) two times daily for 4 weeks. This resulted in a significant increase in the total calories, protein, minerals and vitamins. Nutritional status was assessed both anthropometrically and biochemically, before and after the study period. A significant improvement in mid arm circumference, triceps skinfold thickness and serum albumin were observed in the supplemented group but not in the control group. There is a possibility that most of the elderly were in an anemic state at the beginning of the study since their mean hematologic parameters were within the lower normal range while their mean serum osmolarities was slightly higher than normal,. Although mean serum hemoglobin and hematocrit were not increased significantly, th percentage of the recovery rate from anemia in the supplemented group was higher than in the control group. Total lymphocyte count also showed similar tendency. Sensory evaluation of nutritional supplementary drinks were relatively good and the elderly showed great interest in nutrient supplements. This study suggests that a nutritional status of poorly nourished elderly subjects can be improved by providing them with nutritional supplementations.
Aged* ; Anemia ; Arm ; Hematocrit ; Humans ; Lymphocyte Count ; Minerals ; Nutritional Status ; Osmolar Concentration ; Reference Values ; Serum Albumin ; Skinfold Thickness ; Vitamins

Acetylshikonin, a natural naphthoquinone derivative compound, has been used for treatment of inflammation and cancer. In the present study, we have investigated whether acetylshikonin could regulate the NF-kappaB signaling pathway, thereby leading to suppression of tumorigenesis. We observed that acetylshikonin significantly reduced proliferation of several cancer cell lines, including human pancreatic PANC-1 cancer cells. In addition, acetylshikonin inhibited phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) or tumor necrosis-alpha (TNF-alpha)-induced NF-kappaB reporter activity. Proteome cytokine array and real-time RT-PCR results illustrated that acetylshikonin inhibition of PMA-induced production of cytokines was mediated at the transcriptional level and it was associated with suppression of NF-kappaB activity and matrix metalloprotenases. Finally, we observed that an exposure of acetylshikonin significantly inhibited the anchorage-independent growth of PANC-1 cells. Together, our results indicate that acetylshikonin could serve as a promising therapeutic agent for future treatment of pancreatic cancer.
Carcinogenesis ; Cell Line ; Cell Proliferation* ; Cytokines ; Humans* ; Inflammation ; NF-kappa B* ; Pancreatic Neoplasms ; Proteome

PURPOSE: This study was done to examine whether risk of suicidal ideation in nursing students as related to social support and ego-resilience, and whether subjective wellbeing mediated the relationships. METHODS: Structural equation modeling was applied to test the model in which ego-resilience and social support from family, friends, and others were considered as exogenous variables and subjective wellbeing as a mediating variable. The participants were 285 nursing students who completed self-report measures including the Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, the Ego-Resiliency Scale, and the Index of Wellbeing. RESULTS: Results show that higher scores on family support and ego-resilience were positively associated with subjective wellbeing and negatively with suicidal ideation. Subjective wellbeing mediated the relationships between family support and suicidal ideation, and also ego-resilience and suicidal ideation. Among the three social supports, only family social support had both direct and indirect effects on suicidal ideation. CONCLUSION: Findings suggest that family support is a useful resource in the prevention of suicidal ideation in nursing students and building supportive relationship with family should be considered as the first step in suicide prevention strategies. Also enhancing ego-resilience could play an important role to reduce suicide risk through promoting well-being.
Friends ; Humans ; Negotiating ; Nursing* ; Students, Nursing* ; Suicidal Ideation* ; Suicide

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Folic acid supplementation before pregnancy is known to significantly reduce the risk of having a baby with neural tube defects (NTDs). Therefore, it is important for women to be aware of the effects of folic acid supplementation before pregnancy. The purpose of this study was to investigate the awareness and preconceptional use of folic acid and to assess the current knowledge about folic acid among low-income pregnant women in Korea. SUBJECTS/METHODS: A questionnaire survey was conducted in 2012. Five hundred pregnant women were selected from the waiting list for the Nutriplus program implemented in public health centers using a multistage clustered probability sampling design. Data from 439 women were analyzed after excluding ones with incomplete answers. RESULTS: Among women who responded to the questionnaire, 65.6% had heard of folic acid before pregnancy, and 26.4% reported on the preconceptional use of folic acid. Women with a university degree or higher education were more likely to be aware of folic acid and to take folic acid in the preconception period. In a multivariate logistic regression, when age, education level, household income, employment status, gravidity, parity, and folic acid awareness were included in the model, folic acid awareness was a strong predictor of preconceptional folic acid use. As of interview, 85.4% and 77.7% of women were aware of the NTD-preventive role of folic acid and the appropriate time to take folic acid, respectively. The main sources of information on folic acid were healthcare professionals (41.2%), friends and family members (31.2%), and the media (26.5%). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that public health strategies are needed to increase the preconceptional use of folic acid among Korean women.
Delivery of Health Care ; Dietary Supplements ; Education ; Employment ; Family Characteristics ; Female ; Folic Acid* ; Friends ; Gravidity ; Humans ; Korea* ; Logistic Models ; Neural Tube Defects ; Parity ; Pregnancy ; Pregnant Women* ; Public Health ; Waiting Lists